Jazz fest is big and it’s awesome! It’s always very easy to have a wardrobe malfunction, an act of god, or a lack of provisions detract from your festing experience. Some basic preparation is necessary. So, without further ado, we are proud to present the fist installment of NoDef’s annual guide to the Fest.

On February 28th, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) initiated a new policy regarding how the department cooperates with undocumented people living within the city. The purpose of the revision is “to set forth the policy of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to provide police services to all persons within New Orleans regardless of their immigration status.” Simply put, the Department will no longer assist with immigraiton enforcement.

As immigration law becomes an increasingly central concern in U.S. domestic policy, private companies have begun to capitalize on the detention of immigrants and a new report says the New Orleans is at the forefront of the trend. Today, the Detention Watch Network and the Center for Constitutional Rights published a study called Banking on Detention: Local Lockup Quotas and the Immigrant Dragnet. The study examines how private contractors have used guaranteed minimums to profit from detention centers. That pressure, the study says, may have caused Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase the number of immigrants they detain and to hold those immigrants for significantly longer periods than needed. 

New Orleans’ early winter weather is causing early problems for residents. Tonight, a freeze alert is in effect which means that pipes are at risk of bursting due to the expansion created by ice. The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans may be known as the “agency that bought us boil-water advisories” but they also handle the other end of the thermometer. On Monday (11.17,) they offered a few tips on ice.

With freezing temps and wintry mix moving into the metro New Orleans area, Mayor Mitch and city officials once again took to the podium to urge people to stay off the roads, and update City preparations.

More than 20 protesters were arrested in the CBD during a protest of an immigration program conducted by U.S. Immigration, Customs Enforcement. Sam Nelson was on the scene.

The state allowed millions in taxpayer money to melt away during Hurricane Isaac, according to the Louisiana Inspector General. During Hurricane Isaac's unwelcome stay over Louisiana, the state's homeland security office ordered $17 million worth of ice. But only a small fraction ever made it to the public, according to an IG report issued this week. In the end, $15 million of ice made the transition back to H2O in an un-air-conditioned Lacombe warehouse, according to the report.

The City is handling the Clean Zone during Super Bowl XLVII, but the Red Zone required bringing in the big dogs. On Thursday morning in New Orleans, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) clued the country in on Operation Red Zone, which sought to snare counterfeit Super Bowl goods, and other mock NFL merchandise.